Research activities

General research interests

I have several general research interests. The first concerns the interactions between biodiversity, the structure of forested landscapes, and people, both in a larger forest context and in an urban and periurban context. I am especially interested in the nature, spatial scale, and mechanisms behind these interactions. I am also interested in the sustainable management of the boreal and mixedwood forest, particularly in issues related to zoning and in the interactions between natural and anthropogenic disturbances on landscape structure. Finally, I am interested in ecosystem services provided by trees in urban, periurban, and forested landscapes and in how the provision of these services can best be reconciled with biodiversity conservation.

Current research projects

Integrating carbon and natural disturbances into the calculation of the annual allowable cut in Quebec: How should climate change considerations affect forestry activities?

The effect of partial cuts on biodiversity and landscape structure at large spatial and temporal scales: searching for ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable solutions

The location of plantations and intensive management areas in the boreal mixedwood forest of Quebec: How to maximise the ecological, social, and economic benefits?

Reconciling habitat for biodiversity and provision of ecosystem services by trees in urban, periurban, and forest landscapes.

Teaching activities

Courses Taught

Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability: LOYC 320 (Biodiversity on Earth)

Other curriculum development projects

Development of a massive open online course for the United Nations Environment Program entitled The Ecosystem Approach and Systems Thinking in collaboration with colleagues at the Loyola Sustainability Research Centre.

Tittler, R. 2003. Conservation and sustainable development in the international boreal forest: a comparative study of regulatory and fiscal policy in Canada, Scandinavia, Russia, and Alaska. . Report prepared for the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy.